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Tuesday, May 05, 2009

The 11 Best Songs By Cracker

Second bands are never supposed do as well as first bands. Mars Volta is great...but At The Drive-In is still better. Crowded House has some great hits...even great albums...but the Split Enz are still superior. And don't even get me started on Porno For Pyros. That's why Cracker's long-term success is such a fluke. Camper Van Beethoven was such an indie rock darling, it was hard to imagine that Lowry's follow-up band could be anything more than a novelty. But almost twenty years later, Cracker is still going strong. What makes their succes even more shocking is that they are one of the last bands standing from the early 90s. Many of their grunge peers are already having "reunion" tours, while Cracker has never bothered to leave the stage.

I was lucky enough to get an advance of the new album, Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey. I surprised how alive the album sounded. This is easily Cracker's best release in a over a decade and solidly on par with Kerosene Hat or Gentlemen's Blues. On this release, Cracker isn't just churning out more tunes for their catalogue to keep their core fans happy, on this album, they're making a statement. With guest spots from John Doe, Patterson Hood, and Adam Duritz, they are showing that not only are they as good as the bands that they influenced, they are proving that they match up with bands that influenced them.

The fact that Cracker is successful and has been for so long is not a fluke! It is a combination of songwriting skills, excellent musicianship, and non-stop touring that keeps them successful and relevant!